Laser Testing for Diseases

This article is about a new laser that a research team in Australia has developed. This laser is very special; it can produce twenty-five times as much light as other lasers at its wavelength. The research team created this laser in the hope of being able to detect diseases using a breath test. This is a practice in use with some diseases, but the technique can not be done on a lot of illnesses because the lasers can not detect the small traces of gases. Other uses have already been thought of to use this laser for, as well. One of which being the detection of some greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.

I think this most connects to my Health class. In this class we have just learned about some breathing disorders and diseases. Not that the laser only detects those, but it is what comes to mind when someone says breathing test. Another thing it connects to in health class is disease detection. If these lasers could become inexpensive, then people could carry them around in first aid kits and be able to see what diseases the person in need of first aid could possibly have.

I think this is an outstanding invention. It can effect me in so many ways. Maybe, one day, I will have some type of disease, and when I go to the hospital, they will just have me breath on a laser to see what I have. It may become a cheap and effective method of disease testing. It also may be able to help forensic scientists discover trace gasses in dead bodies. That alone could be a huge impact.

The question I decided to answer was: what is the central idea of the passage and how is it developed and refined throughout the selection?
The central idea was that a new laser was developed to help doctors be able to detect diseases in early stages.  The idea is first developed by introducing the topic. Lavars introduces the topic with this sentence,"a research team from Australia's University of Adelaide has developed a new kind of laser with the ability to detect low concentrations of gases, opening up even more possibilities for disease diagnosis". With this sentence, Lavars tells you what the new invention is and what it does. He then refines that idea with extra facts on why the laser can be useful. For example, the sentence, "Detecting certain particles and gases through breath-testing has proven valuable in the diagnosing of particular illnesses". In that sentence, Lavars is refining the central idea by telling his audience that this tool will be useful because lower grade versions of this laser are already useful.


Citations
Lavars, Nick. "New laser shines a light on breath testing for disease". gizmag. Gizmag. 17 Feb.             2014. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. \
          <http://www.gizmag.com/laser-breath-test-disease-adelaide/30872/>.

Theony, Peter. "The show must go on". Photograph. flickr. Yahoo, 28 Oct. 2013. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.